The panic of 1819 and the debate over the presence of slavery in Missouri shattered the illusion that America could exist without political factions or parties. But did the Missouri Compromise put the United States on the road to war? By exploring the origins and aftermath of the debate over slavery in the Louisiana Purchase, Dr. Adam Dean, Associate Professor of History at the University of Lynchburg, will suggest that while the Missouri Compromise showed the potential for sectional divisions on slavery, it did not mean that the Civil War was inevitable. Admission $5 per person